A cruisetour vs. a cruise-only sailing in Alaska — which is best for you?

The state of Alaska is vast: It encompasses 365 million acres and is more than twice the size of Texas.

With just 17,000 miles of public roads, much of Alaska is remote and reachable only by ship or plane, making a cruise one of the best and easiest ways to visit The Great Land.

However, if you want to explore more of the state's extraordinary beauty, including its rugged wilderness areas such as Denali National Park & Preserve or Fairbanks, the city known as the "Golden Heart of Alaska," consider a cruisetour, a combined sea-and-land vacation.

The advantages of cruise-only itineraries

There are several reasons a cruise-only trip may be the right fit for you. Most Alaska cruises are shorter than cruisetours, typically lasting seven nights. If you add one additional night in town before the cruise (as a buffer should travel plans go awry), you can still make the trip in just a little more than a week. Additionally, many ships sail round-trip from major cities like Seattle or Vancouver, British Columbia, so airfare and transfers should be easier, and less expensive, to book since you'll be arriving and departing from the same place.

A cruise-only itinerary will also be the least expensive option since you can find seven-night Alaska voyages priced as low as $500 to $600 per person, double occupancy. (Cruise fares depend on several factors, including the cruise line, the ship's age, the stateroom category and location, what's included in the fare, the itinerary and the sailing date.)

Another plus is that you'll only need to pack and unpack once if you're only taking a cruise. You won't have to haul your luggage between hotels and other modes of transportation, such as buses, trains and planes.

Weeklong Alaska cruises

If you're thinking a cruise-only vacation is right for you, there are a few popular seven-night Alaska cruise routes that you can take to visit the south-central region of Alaska.

Norwegian Cruise Line's "7-Day Alaska Round-trip Seattle: Juneau, Ketchikan & Victoria" itinerary includes stops in the coastal towns of Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan (Ward Cove) in Alaska; Victoria, British Columbia; and scenic cruising in magical Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve. A number of other lines also offer Seattle departures, including Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Cunard Line, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Virgin Voyages.

A seven-night, round-trip "7-Night Alaska Dawes Glacier" voyage with Celebrity Cruises from Vancouver traverses the scenic Inside Passage and the Endicott Arm fjord (home to Dawes Glacier). It calls on the ports of Icy Strait Point, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan in Alaska. Several other lines offer round-trip itineraries from Vancouver, including Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Azamara Cruises and Disney Cruise Line.

You can also book a weeklong, one-way voyage, either heading southbound or northbound along the coast. Several larger and smaller lines offer such itineraries. If you prefer a larger ship, Royal Caribbean offers sailings from either Seward, Alaska, or Vancouver that include two days of scenic cruising in Hubbard Glacier and the Inside Passage, as well as visits to the ports of Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point and Ketchikan.

For a smaller luxury ship, Regent Seven Seas Cruises offers one-way sailings from Whittier, Alaska, to Vancouver (or the reverse itinerary). These voyages vary depending on the dates, with some cruising the Hubbard Glacier and the Inside Passage, making calls on Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Juneau, Skagway and the small town of Klawock in Alaska.

Longer cruise-only voyages, some with lesser-known ports

Since you've traveled so far to visit Alaska, you might want to book a longer voyage to see more of this great state. Extended itineraries, especially on smaller and expedition-style ships, often call on remote and lesser-visited destinations.

Silversea's 14-day, round-trip sailing from Vancouver includes stops in some of the more familiar Alaska port towns, such as Ketchikan, , Skagway, Sitka, Seward (Anchorage) and Juneau, as well as less frequented Valdez, Haines and Klawock. You'll also find voyages with a few lines that stop in the small towns of Wrangell on the Inside Passage (this will be a stop on Silversea's 10-night cruise beginning July 5, 2027) and Homer on the Kenai Peninsula.

If you're interested in a more immersive Alaska experience — and a sailing on a much smaller ship (approximately 36 to 86 guests) — consider booking your bucket-list trip with UnCruise Adventures. The company offers unique itineraries in wilderness areas, featuring wildlife viewing and active exploration in skiffs and kayaks right from the ship. Its sailings typically are seven-nights or longer.

National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions also features smaller ships, immersive itineraries, active exploration and lesser-known destinations such as Baranof or Chichagof Island in Alaska and Prince Rupert in British Columbia.

For a small ship option that's not expedition-style, American Cruise Lines offers eight- to 15-night cruise-only itineraries that also include unique ports of call, such as Petersburg and Metlakatla in Alaska. From the town of Petersburg, you can take a jet boat tour to see LeConte Glacier. And in Metlakatla, located on the Annette Islands, visit a museum to learn about the Tsimshian people who comprise the only Indian Reserve in Alaska. Their ships in Alaska accommodate between 130 and 170 guests.

While prices are typically higher for longer voyages (especially on smaller luxury and expedition ships), you can find some base fares under $1,000 per person (double occupancy) for 10-night sailings with a few of the larger cruise lines.

These longer Alaska voyages are ideal for travelers who are retired or semi-retired, work remotely or have extended vacation time.

Cruisetours — exploring Alaska by sea and ashore

For the ultimate vacation to Alaska, consider a cruisetour. A combined sea-and-land vacation booked as a single trip, a cruisetour offers the best of both experiences: sailing along Alaska's picturesque coastline and exploring its boundless wilderness in the interior.

Many large cruise lines offer cruisetours, including Holland America, Princess, Norwegian, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, as well as smaller lines like Azamara Cruises and American Cruise Lines. Others, such as Oceania Cruises and Silversea, offer cruise extensions with fully escorted precruise or postcruise land tours.

These add-on extensions may include a visit to Denali, a rail journey through the Canadian Rockies aboard the Rocky Mountaineer or two nights in Anchorage, where you can fly into a remote location for a guided bear-viewing encounter. However, they're not complete package programs like the cruisetours.

What's included with a cruisetour?

Depending on the itinerary, your cruise may be at the beginning or end of the trip, with the rest of the time spent ashore. There are many variables and options with cruisetours. Most of them begin or end with a seven-night cruise, followed by several days or a week or longer traveling between hotels and destinations, with various tours and sightseeing options along the way.

Some of the land portions are escorted, while others can be done on your own. These trips can last as long as 19 days, and they typically include transportation by deluxe motorcoach and a glass-domed railroad car with the Alaska Railroad. Some land tours may also include flights. Hotels and travel between destinations are usually included in the price. However, meals and some featured land excursions — such as an Arctic air adventure or northern lights viewing tour from Fairbanks — will be an additional cost.

Cruisetours that are two weeks or less

One example of a cruisetour that you can take with two weeks of time, Princess' 13-day "Denali Explorer" cruisetour from Vancouver to Fairbanks. After the cruise, you disembark in Whittier and spend an evening in Anchorage before boarding the railcar for the Direct-to-the-Wilderness service for a two-night stay at the Mount McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, followed by two nights at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge. Both properties are just outside the entrance to Denali.

While there, you can visit the park with a tour in search of Denali's "Big Five": brown (or grizzly) bears, moose, wolves, Dall sheep and caribou. Other optional excursions include a sled dog experience, a flightseeing or helicopter tour, fly-fishing for Arctic grayling and an evening covered wagon ride complete with an Alaskan feast. The last stop on your Alaska adventure is Fairbanks, where you'll have an included tour on the Chena River aboard a sternwheeler steamboat, then pan for gold and enjoy a hearty miner's lunch at Gold Dredge 8.

You'll also find cruisetours with Princess that include overnight stays at their Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge. This lodge offers access to remote Wrangell—St. Elias National Park & Preserve (the largest national park in the U.S.) and the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge, the gateway to adventures in Kenai Fjords National Park.

Norwegian offers a "12-day Denali Alyeska — Southbound Cruise Tour," which features a five-day land portion before the seven-night cruise. This trip begins in Anchorage and includes the Alaska Railroad domed railcar to Denali and a motorcoach ride to Girdwood, home to the beautiful Alyeska Resort, nestled at the foot of the Chugach Mountains. After an overnight in Girdwood, you'll head to Whittier to begin your cruise.

Boutique line, Azamara Cruises' 14-night "Alaska Explorer Cruisetour: Denali, Talkeetna, Riverboat & Rail," features a 10-night itinerary departing from Vancouver, followed by a 4-night land tour that begins in Whittier and ends in Fairbanks. Guests onboard for the exciting adventure will visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage, explore Denali National Park, take a jet boat tour in Talkeetna and board a Deluxe Domed Railcar for the journey from Denali to Fairbanks.

Cruisetours to Alaska are once-in-a-lifetime vacations for many travelers, with prices typically higher than cruise-only fares. However, you can find lower prices in the off- and shoulder seasons, as well as online deals and promotions, starting at less than $1,500 per person, double occupancy.

The nearly month-long ultimate Alaska cruise

If you want to head as far north as Nome, Alaska, then cross the Arctic Circle and visit Kodiak Island — home to the world's second-largest bears (next to polar bears) — and do it all while on a ship (no land portion included), book the "28-day Legendary Alaska Arctic Circle Solstice" cruise with Holland America. This bucket-list trip sets sail round-trip from Seattle and includes many days of scenic cruising, 12 ports of call and the smaller towns of Valdez, Haines, Wrangell and Dutch Harbor in Alaska's Aleutian Islands.